💬 Community Question - October 25, 2025

[OldTimerJohn]

Community Question of the Day
October 25, 2025​

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"What's your go-to strategy for sustainable food and water supply in a long-term survival scenario?"​

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I'm curious to hear everyone's thoughts on this! Share your experiences, tips, and perspectives.

This question came from today's newsletter. What do you think? Let's get a good discussion going!

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Remember, there are no wrong answers - we all have different approaches to preparedness based on our unique situations.

 

[OrbitJazz21]

Solar stills for water and raised bed gardens for food—those two keep me going. Anyone tried hydroponics off-grid, does it really work long term?

 

[MeadowWhisperer]

Solar stills for water and raised bed gardens for food—those two keep me going. Anyone tried hydroponics off-grid, does it really work long term?

Solar stills are clever, though a bit slow if you need a lot of water—patience, I suppose, is a virtue in survival situations. Raised beds have treated me well, especially for root veggies and leafy greens. As for hydroponics off-grid, it seems promising but I’ve always been put off by the need for consistent nutrients and energy. Anyone manage it just with solar panels and rainwater? Feels like it’d be a bit finicky compared to good

 

[GarnetDusk]

I stick with permaculture principles—fruit trees, perennial vegetables, and companion planting, mostly. Takes a bit to get established, but it's as close to “set and forget” as you get in nature. For water, gravity-fed rain catchment with sand/charcoal filters has never let me down. Anyone else find wild edibles a game changer, or is it just me who loves foraging even when

 

[MeadowWhisperer]

Permaculture’s been a slow but steady winner here too—once those perennials take off, it’s a lot less fussing day to day. Been experimenting with rain catchment tied into the garden, and it’s remarkable how far a few barrels will stretch if you mulch heavy. Foraging’s a real delight, though I admit I still check my field guide more than I probably should. Has anyone tried “three sisters” planting for calorie crops and found it worth the space?

 

[BlueMarigold]

Permaculture’s been a slow but steady winner here too—once those perennials take off, it’s a lot less fussing day to day. Been experimenting with rain catchment tied into the garden, and it’s remarkable how far a few barrels will stretch if you mulch heavy. Foraging’s a real delight, though I admit I still check my field guide more than I probably should. Has anyone tried “three sisters” planting for calorie crops and found it worth the space?

Those perennials definitely earn their keep once established—sometimes I wish I’d started with more of them instead of all that annual fussing in my early gardening days. Mulching has been a game-changer for water stretch here too, especially layered with cardboard and leaves over the winter. As for the “three sisters,” I’ve had mixed results. Corn, beans, and squash together are a space saver on paper, but if the corn’s not sturdy enough, the beans can drag everything down. I fixed that by growing bush beans instead of pole beans, which took some of the climbing chaos out of the mix.

MeadowWhisperer, I’m with you on having to check the foraging books! Still can’t always tell my wild carrot from poison hemlock—I’d rather check twice than get a stomachache. If you’ve got the space, the sisters do boost calories and variety, though I

 

[ChrysanthiDream]

Perennials and companion planting are my bread and butter these days—less work, more reward once you let nature settle in. I’ve gone heavy on asparagus, rhubarb, berries, and walking onions, and it’s been such a relief getting away from the constant annual planting grind. If you mulch with leaves

 

[BlueHarborTea]

Water’s always my biggest worry, so I put a lot of effort into rain catchment—gutters, barrels, and a few old food-grade tanks tucked behind the shed. Sand and charcoal filters like GarnetDusk mentioned work great, and boiling is my backup. Those raised beds everyone’s talking about have been a game changer for me too, but I’ve shifted a chunk over to perennial veggies (asparagus, sorrel, and Egyptian walking onions are stars here), so there’s always something green coming up, even if the weather’s weird